Free open-source wiki app updated

Organisations looking to get their feet wet with Web 2.0 technologies might want to check out an updated version of open-source enterprise wiki software that developers say can help companies embrace collaboration and speed application development.

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Organisations looking to get their feet wet with Web 2.0 technologies might want to check out an updated version of open-source enterprise wiki software that developers say can help companies embrace collaboration and speed application development.

TWiki.org, a virtual open-source community consisting of 26,700 members, 4,000 contributors and about 2 million enterprise users, this week announced a new version of its wiki platform, TWiki 4.1, code-named 'Edinburgh'.

Version 4.1, available free for download under GNU GPL (General Public License), includes application extensions that enable users to create what TWiki.org representatives call "Situational Applications".

The group defines Situational Applications as "enterprise software programs, created in short time frames and with limited budgets, for small groups with specific needs".

Wiki software enables individuals to edit, delete or modify collective content on websites using a browser interface, expanding on the work of previous contributors. Putting wiki software to work in a large business could enable collaboration among departments and supplement email for communications on group projects.

TWiki.org says its platform adds structure to the "free-form world of wikis". With the software in place, wiki content can be browsed, searched, grouped, categorised, filtered and restricted for limited access, the group says. And with server-side plug-in APIs, developers and nonprogrammers can use the software to build applications.

The organisation says it supports more than 250 plug-ins that help expand TWiki's capabilities. For instance, available plug-ins include BlogPlugin, which turns TWiki into a weblog engine; SpreadSheet Plugin, a system for adding spreadsheet functionality; and Workflow Plugin, software for embedding project-tracking functionality within a wiki page.